Dishwashers which are adapted for the use of both conventional detergents and combination products are described in DE 100 49 489 A1, DE 102 20 839 A1, DE 102 30 567 A1, and in EP 1 362 547 A2. These combination products are generally referred to as “2in1” and “3in1” tabs, which, in addition to detergent, also contain rinse aid (2in1) or rinse aid and water softener salt substitutes (3in1). Some of these products work according to the carry-over principle, in which an excessive amount of rinse aid dissolves at the beginning of the dishwashing cycle and in which the actually needed amount is to be carried over to the rinse cycle by entrainment and adhesion to the dishes. In other products, the rinse aid is integrated as a wax-encapsulated pearl, the wax being intended to dissolve as a function of temperature or pH value not before the rinse cycle in order to release the rinse aid. The dishwashers described in DE 100 49 489 A1, DE 102 20 839 A1 and DE 102 30 567 A1 are adapted to the use of such products by means for blocking the supply of rinse aid from the dispensing system, which is usually located in the door of the dishwasher.
In cycles in which the wash water is at a high temperature during the wash step already, the aforementioned products do not work satisfactorily because the rinse aid contained in the tablet is already dissolved in the wash water and is discharged therewith at the end of the wash step. Hence, the absence of rinse aid during the final rinse step results in poor drying performance. In accordance with German document DE 10 2004 043 657 A1, this problem is overcome by adding a small amount of rinse aid from a corresponding dispenser during the rinse step. The requirement of having to fill liquid rinse aid into a corresponding dispenser even when a combination product containing a rinse agent is used is not readily comprehensible to the user, leading to operator errors.
European document EP 1 652 463 A1 describes a method for dispensing a multi-component detergent additive in a water-using domestic appliance. In that disclosure, a solid combination product containing a rinse agent in addition to a cleaning agent is stored in a container provided for this purpose. Different agents are then dissolved from this combination product during individual steps of an operating cycle.